Today in history: March 2

Below:

Today is Thursday, March 2, the 61st day of 2006. There are 304 days left in the year.

Today’s Highlight in History:
On March 2, 1877, Republican Rutherford B. Hayes was declared the winner of the 1876 presidential election over Democrat Samuel J. Tilden, even though Tilden had won the popular vote.

On this date:
In 1793, the first president of the Republic of Texas, Sam Houston, was born near Lexington, Va.

In 1836, Texas declared its independence from Mexico.

In 1899, Mount Rainier National Park in Washington state was established.

In 1939, Roman Catholic Cardinal Eugenio Pacelli was elected Pope; he took the name Pius XII.

In 1943, the World War II Battle of the Bismarck Sea began.

In 1955, the William Inge play “Bus Stop” opened at the Music Box Theatre in New York.

In 1965, the movie version of Rodgers and Hammerstein’s musical “The Sound of Music” had its world premiere at New York’s Rivoli Theater.

In 1977, the U.S. House of Representatives adopted a strict code of ethics.

Ten years ago: Senate Majority Leader Bob Dole reignited his presidential campaign with an overwhelming victory in the South Carolina Republican primary.

Five years ago: The United Nations tried in vain to persuade Afghanistan’s ruling Taliban to reverse its decision to destroy a pair of giant, ancient statues of Buddha and other Buddhist relics that the regime considered idolatrous.

One year ago: The number of U.S. military deaths in Iraq reached 1,500. The woman who accused NBA star Kobe Bryant of rape settled her lawsuit against him, ending the case.

Thought for Today: “Humanitarianism needs no apology. ... Unless we ... feel it toward all men without exception, we shall have lost the chief redeeming force in human history.” — Ralph Barton Perry, American author and educator (1876-1957).